171235: She cannot make up the fasts that she missed because she is too weak

I am 24 years old, and I owe many days when I broke the fast in Ramadan and I have not fasted them. What I mean is: I did not fast due to circumstances for 8 days each year from the age of 12 to the age of 24. And I swore many vows to Allah, saying that I would never do that again, but I did not fast. I am in poor health and fasting exhausts me. I am able to fast Ramadan but I do not know what I should do with regard to the days I owe, and I do not have any income with which to feed the poor; my family are the ones who spend on me. I hope you can help me. I worked it out and found that I have to offer more than 100 fasts other than in Ramadan, and this is very difficult for me because of my health.

Praise be to
Allah.

Firstly:

You should
realize that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has enjoined fasting
Ramadan upon His slaves, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O
you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it
was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the
pious)”

[al-Baqarah
2:183].

And He has
forbidden not fasting, except for those who have legitimate shar‘i
excuses, such as those who are sick, travellers and menstruating women. Allah,
may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and
whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number (of days which one did not
observe Sawm (fasts) must be made up) from other days”

[al-Baqarah
2:185].

Secondly:

It is not
clear from your question what the excuse is for which you have stopped fasting
in Ramadan, but one of two scenarios must apply:

1.
That it is because of a legitimate shar‘i excuse such as menses,
sickness, travel and the like, for which Allah has permitted breaking the fast. In that case there is
no sin on you for not fasting, because it is breaking the fast for a legitimate
reason according to sharee‘ah. But you should have made up those days and
not delayed it until the next Ramadan came without you having made up what you
owed from the previous Ramadan.

Based on that,
you have to repent from what you have done and make up those days that are
required from you. They do not have to be done consecutively; you can divide
them however you want so that it will not be too difficult for you. You also
have to feed one poor person for each day, because you delayed making up the
days you owed until the next Ramadan came. If you do not have anything with
which to feed poor persons or to offer as expiation, then you do not have to do
anything.

2.
That there was no legitimate shar‘i excuse for it, and it was
carelessness or negligence on your part. If a person breaks the fast in Ramadan
deliberately, with no shar‘i excuse, then it must be one of two things:

(i)
He did not fast at all on one or more days during Ramadan, so he did
not start to fast in the first place. In this case he is sinning by not
fasting, and he has to repent but he does not have to make it up according to
some of the scholars, because if a person deliberately delays acts of worship
that are connected to a particular time until that time is over, Allah will
never accept them, and there is no benefit in making them up. What he has to do
is repent from what he did of transgressing the limits set by Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted. All he has to do is repent sincerely and do a lot of
good and righteous deeds.

(ii)
He started to fast one day in Ramadan, then broke the fast during the
day, deliberately and with no excuse. In this case, he has to repent to Allah
and make up that day.

Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on
breaking the fast during the day in Ramadan with no excuse.

He replied:

Breaking the
fast during the day in Ramadan with no excuse is a major sin and the one who
does that is regarded as a faasiq (rebellious evildoer). He has to repent to
Allah and make up that day. That is, if he starts to fast and during the day he
breaks the fast with no excuse, then he has incurred sin, and he has to make up
that day when he broke the fast, because when he started it, it became binding
upon him to complete it, and he started it on the basis that it was obligatory.
Therefore he has to make it up, like a vow.

But if he
deliberately did not fast at all with no excuse, then the more correct view is
that he does not have to make it up, because it will not benefit him at all, as
it will never be accepted from him. The basic principle with regard to the act
of worship that is connected to a specific time is that if it is delayed until
that specific time has ended with no excuse, it will not be accepted, because
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever
does an action that is not part of this matter of ours will have it
rejected.” And because he has transgressed the limits set by Allah, and
transgressing the limits set by Allah is wrongdoing, and good deeds are not
accepted from the wrongdoer. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):

“And
whoever transgresses the limits ordained by Allah, then such are the Zalimoon
(wrong-doers, etc.)”

[al-Baqarah
2:229].

And just as if
he did this act of worship before the time for it began, it would not be
accepted from him, by the same token if he does it after the time for it has
ended it will not be accepted from him unless he had an excuse.

End quote from
Majmoo‘ Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 19/89

Thirdly:

If a person is
not able to make up what he owes of Ramadan, because his excuse is ongoing,
such as sickness for which there is no hope of a cure, then he has to feed one
poor person for each day.

There is a
woman who did not fast during Ramadan because of giving birth, and she did not
make up that month. That was a long time ago, and she cannot fast. What is the
ruling?

He replied:

What is this
woman has to do is repent to Allah from what she has done, because it is not
permissible for a person to delay making up Ramadan fasts until the next
Ramadan except with a legitimate shar‘i excuse. So she has to repent,
then if she is able to fast, even if it is on separate days, then she should
fast. If she is not able to fast, then it depends. If it is for an ongoing reason,
she should feed one poor person for each day; if it is for a temporary reason
which it is hoped will come to an end, she should wait until that reason no
longer applies, then make up the days she owes. End quote

19/answer to
question no. 361

Fourthly:

What the
Muslim should do is guard his oaths and not make too many vows. Allah, may He
be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much)”

[al-Maa’idah
5:89].

If he breaks
his oath, then he must offer expiation. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Allah
will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish
you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten
Masakin (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that with which you feed
your own families; or clothe them; or manumit a slave. But whosoever cannot
afford (that), then he should fast for three days…”

[al-Maa’idah
5:89].

It is not
valid to offer expiation by fasting, except for one who cannot afford to feed
or clothe ten poor persons, or to free a slave.

See the answer
to question no. 45676 for detailed information on expiation for breaking an
oath (kafaarat yameen).

Fifthly:

If a person is
unable to offer expiation, in that he cannot make up the days when he did not
fast in Ramadan, or feed the poor for that, or he is unable to offer expiation
for breaking an oath altogether, then the obligation to feed the poor and offer
expiation is waived in his case, because of the shar‘i principle that
obligations are waived when one is unable to fulfil them.

Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a person is required to
offer expiation for breaking an oath, but he cannot afford to feed poor persons
and he is not able to fast, then it is waived in his case, because Allah, may
He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So
keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can”

[al-Taghaabun
64:16]

“Allaah
burdens not a person beyond his scope”

[al-Baqarah
2:286].

And the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If I command
you do a thing, then do as much of it as you can.”

And he does
not have to do anything, because one of the established principles (in Islam)
is that obligations are waived if one is unable to do them, and one should then
move to the alternative, if there is an alternative, or to something else if
there is no alternative. If the alternative is not possible either, then it is
waived altogether.

End quote from
Fataawa Noor ‘ala’d-Darb

We should
point out here that there is a difference between real inability to fast and
simply fearing hardship. Whatever a person decides, he will be questioned about
that, so he should fear Allah regarding that and realise that Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, can see into his heart and knows how he really is; He
knows whether he is really incapable or is using that as an excuse not to do
what Allah has enjoined upon him of offering expiation. Allah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say
(O Muhammad SAW): Whether you hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, Allah
knows it, and He knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. And
Allah is Able to do all things.”